Verona, 15 March 2023. Vinitaly with an international scope that speaks all the world's languages as it makes ready for the 55th Veronafiere 2-5 April for record attendance by top buyers selected and hosted not the least in collaboration with the ICE Trade Agency. As of today, more than 1000 international “super buyers ” of Italian wine from 68 countries have already been accredited: +43% compared to 2022, from USA to Africa, Asia - with the great return of China and Japan - through to Central and South America, as well as from all over Old Continent and the Eurasian Republics. This figure will boost increase total international business attendance at the four-day Show and is expected surpass the final figure for Vinitaly 2022 which closed with 25,000 international buyers from 139 countries, 28% out of 88,000 total operators arriving in Verona, the highest foreign percentage ever recorded.
“This historic result is the outcome of an unprecedented global roadshow involving the main institutional players in the promotion of Made inI taly," said the President of Veronafiere S.p.A., Federico Bricolo. "A decisive upshift in terms of investments and organization, with the firm backing of the new governance. The aim is further improve Vinitaly's competitiveness in Italy and around the world."
Out of the 68 countries attending Vinitaly, 55 stand out with profiled delegations of operators and importers from the United States and Canada, on an equal footing with a contingent of more than 200 top buyers, with new arrivals from large retailers in the Midwest and top management at NABI (National Association of Beverage Importers) and no less than eleven representatives of the Société des Alcohols du Quèbec (SAQ) and the Liquor Control Board of Ontario (LCBO), two of the most important Canadian monopolies.
“The road to growth in the sector is increasingly export-oriented, as will emerge from the report by the UIV-Vinitaly-Prometeia Observatory which we will present in Rome on 22 March," explained the Managing Director of Veronafiere S.p.A., Maurizio Danese. Exports over the last 10 years have seen wine as one of the Made in Italy sectors with a higher growth rate and an increasingly vital balance of trade for system Italy. This is Vinitaly 2023 sought to accelerate the process to modernise the format which will become increasingly smart and responsive to the needs of companies and the sector as a whole. The competitive scenario changed enormously over the last two years. This means we have to make our economic and organisational resources much more efficient in order to support the positioning of Italian wine-makers on international markets."
There are great expectations for return of China which, after the lockdowns and prolonged bans, is ready to regain its status as an emerging giant. A selection by the Veronafiere offices in Shanghai together with the joint venture management in Shenzen will bring to Vinitaly 130 purchasing managers, including the top twenty national importers by volume and value such as CWS, Interpochrom and ASC, as well as the main top-level groups in the horeca sector, from Vino Bento to Wine Universe, Bottega Group, Lady Penguin and Vinehoo, the most popular e-commerce platforms.
The Exhibition Centre is fully booked and entirely business-oriented yet Vinitaly 2023 is also moving towards a change in its organizational model. This is direction taken by decisions to hold the Vinitaly opening ceremony as a smart event (2 April at 11.00) to avoid hindering the agendas of more than 4000 wine-makers in the Exhibition Centre and not including the traditional gala dinner in the Vinitaly's schedule of institutional appointments. A choice that marks a change of pace compared to the past that aims to favour events in line with Vinitaly's business mission. This sees the new Vinitaly & The Night event, the inclusive evening for buyers, exhibitors and the new generations of producers attending the exhibition scheduled on Tuesday 4 April in the Palazzo della Gran Guardia (Verona, Piazza Bra) in open mode from 20:00 to 24:00.
The distinction between trade professionals attending the main show and wine lovers also continues. In fact, wine lovers are the target of Vinitaly and the City, the festival of wine talks, tastings, exhibitions and off-show events in the most representative locations in Verona, a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Piazza dei Signori, Cortile Mercato Vecchio and Cortile del Tribunale. Scheduled 31 March-3 April, Vinitaly and the City is organised by Veronafiere with the collaboration of Verona City Council, the Province of Verona and the Cariverona Foundation.
Details of the 68 countries of origin for more than 1000 top buyers selected, invited and hosted by Veronafiere for the 55th Vinitaly.
North America: USA and Canada.
Asia (17): Armenia, Azerbaijan, China, Japan, Georgia, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Africa (9): Angola, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Ghana,Kenya, Morocco, Mozambique, Nigeria and South Africa.
Central & South America (12): Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru and Venezuela.
Europe (26 including the Baltic area, the Balkans, Scandinavia and UK): Austria, Albania, Bulgaria, Belgium, Bosnia Herzegovina, Croatia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, United Kingdom, Lithuania, Latvia, Norway, Holland, Poland, Portugal, Czech Republic, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Hungary.